The Long Flashback
by Celey
Summary: Tarble recounts his past to Vegeta in an attempt to shed some light on who he is, what he's been doing, and most importantly, defend his relationship with his wife, Gure.
1. Brotherly Beginnings

(Author's Note: As per all fanfiction writers here on , I do not own DBZ. Also, Tarble and Gure are not creations of my own, but Akira Toriyama's from a DBZ special. It was awesome. You should watch it. Seriously.)

* * *

The two Saiyans, one short and the other much shorter, stared at each other from across their sitting positions. Neither knew what to say or where to even begin. Vegeta, for one, wouldn't have bothered staying there in the first place if it wasn't for Bulma's constant nagging to "bond" and "catch up" with his younger brother. He was sure the only reason Tarble was staying was to annoy him. Vegeta looked at the other spiky-haired Saiyan with a mix of hesitation. Then again, Tarble looked like he would rather be anywhere but near him. Perhaps his wife had something to do with it, too?

Speaking of which…

"I know you're a pathetic excuse for a Saiyan, but even you could have done better." There. He finally got that off his chest.

Tarble blinked, as if startled by the interruption of the long-standing silence. His eyes became somewhat wide with confusion.

"What are you talking about?" he asked.

_Strange_, Vegeta thought, _The old Tarble would've jumped at me for that, regardless of whether he knew what I was talking about or not. I wonder…_

Tarble stood, clenching his fists, "I know I'm nowhere near as strong as you, Vegeta, but…"

Ah. That was the old Tarble.

"There's a lot more important things than fighting!"

Vegeta almost fell over in shock. More important things than fighting? He replaced his shocked face with an angry scowl. He didn't like being seen caught off guard.

"No, you idiot. I meant your wife."

Tarble paused to get his bearings, then narrowed his obsidian-colored eyes.

"What about my wife?"

"Do I need to list it out for you?" Vegeta uncrossed his arms, "She doesn't even look like our species. She's so… small, almost like a child! Hardly child-bearing material. What could possibly be attractive about that… creature?"

Tarble's eyes flashed in anger. His family resemblance to Vegeta showed well. He looked ready to charge, but was clearly holding himself back. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Vegeta watched, almost curious. This was definitely not the Tarble he used to know. Granted, the Tarble he had known was only two years old, but still…

"She's not a child, Vegeta. She's even a year older than I am, and don't call her a creature. She's…"

"Hello, hello!" Gure came skipping in with a plate of cupcakes, "This Earth food is so interesting! Tarble, won't you try this?"

All the tension in the room disappeared the instant she stepped in. Vegeta grabbed most of the cupcakes on the plate while Tarble seemed content with just two.

"Thank you, Gure," Tarble said, smiling.

"Yes. Thank you," Vegeta said, shocking himself and quickly stuffed his mouthful of cupcakes to keep from embarrassing himself further.

Gure smiled up at the both of them, "I hope you two are getting along. I'm sure you have SO much to talk about!"

The Saiyan men nodded. Gure looked at the empty plate, "Oh. All gone. I'll have to get some more for my dear little nephew."

She headed back to the kitchen, which was a long way off from the living room. Vegeta's scowl went back into place. He turned to Tarble, glaring.

"All right, now I know something is wrong."

"Hmm? What do you mean?" Tarble licked his icing-coated lips.

"Don't play dumb. What is she doing? Why do I feel so…" Vegeta struggled to find a word.

Realization dawned on Tarble.

"Ohhhhhh. Heh. I guess I forgot to mention that many of Gure's people have the innate ability to pacify anger and hostility. Unfortunately, it doesn't work on every alien race."

"So… What? She has you brainwashed or something?" Vegeta grumbled, his arms back in their crossed position.

"What? No! Listen, I don't care if you don't like it, Vegeta. I love Gure. I will always love Gure. I don't appreciate you insulting my wife," Tarble said, his expression becoming fierce.

Vegeta was not intimidated but felt he had already made his point as to why Gure was undesirable as a mate.

"All I want to know is… why? Out of every alien species there is out there, why her?"

"It's a long story, I guess. Gure and I have been through a lot together," Tarble said, his tone sounding thoughtful.

Vegeta rolled his eyes, but curiosity got the better of him.

"Well, the Gravity Room is broken… again…" he trailed off, not wanting to admit that he was interested in what Tarble had to say.

Tarble folded his hands and looked down at them.

"Do you remember the day I was sent away?" he asked.

"It was before my first mission. I remember you cried like a baby, and Father had one of his guards knock you out to shut you up," Vegeta said, smirking.

Tarble gave Vegeta an ugly look, "It was a diversion."

Vegeta raised an eyebrow, intrigued, "Diversion? For what?"

"I was using my tail on the launch controls to change the coordinates of the ship's destination. I knew I wouldn't be able to do that once I was inside the ship. The ship's computer only responds to adult voice commands to avoid any accidents when it's transporting children."

"You could do that?" Vegeta asked.

"What you, Father, every Saiyan I came into contact with, failed to see, was that I was far smarter than most Saiyans my age, and even Saiyans who were much older than me. That's why I never fought well. I wasn't interested in fighting. I was interested in figuring things out. It's what saved my life."

"Ah, yes. I remember now. Father told me you were supposed to be sent to a useless planet with hostile creatures that would be impossible for someone of your level to fight. He was sending you on a suicide mission because he was hoping to erase his mistake of a son," Vegeta said, as always unnecessarily cruel and blunt.

There was a subtle change in his expression; it was something that almost seemed sympathetic. Tarble picked up on it but didn't say anything.

"Yes," Tarble answered, not seeming to be upset, "He didn't tell me that, of course, but I found it out on my own. So, I took steps to preserve myself. I chose Gure's planet, in particular, because it was a safe haven planet for refugees; survivors of planet-clearings or natural phenomena that left them homeless. It was due to be cleared in five months, so I completely wiped all traces of it from the Planet Trader's Database."

Vegeta tried not to look impressed, but he was. The Planet Trader's Database had been developed on Frieza's home planet and had sophisticated anti-hacking technology. Yet Tarble, only two years old, managed to hack into it?

"That's only the beginning…" Tarble said, reminiscing.

* * *

(Author's Note: In the next chapters, Tarble isn't going to be just telling Vegeta what happened. It's going to progress as if it were a normal story without Vegeta commenting on events. There may be intermediate chapters where I'll break from the story to go back to Vegeta and Tarble talking over what happened.)


	2. Arrival

The Saiyan toddler, Tarble, was jerked out of the sleep mode the space pod had put him in on the long journey to Photerra. He was fairly certain he was hearing someone speak to him.

"… _yourself."_

"Huh? I just woke up," Tarble said, running his hand through his spiky locks.

"_I'm sorry. We didn't understand that. Please identify yourself. State your name, species, age, and your intention. Scans show that you have a low power level, but you are in a ship of questionable origin."_

"I'm Tarble; I'm…" Tarble paused. He knew Saiyans were well-known through a good portion of the universe. He wasn't entirely sure this planet was aware of who the Saiyans were, but he couldn't take any chances. He tried to think of a race that looked similar to his own.

"I'm a Tuffle, two years old… I'm all alone, and I need somewhere to live," he explained.

He looked out the pod's window at the planet in front of him. It seemed to be shimmering which struck him as odd. He had expected to see his pod surrounded by space ships, but there were none there. What was keeping him from entering the planet?

"_Tarble, our records show no information about a Tuffle race. We have concluded that you come from an unknown part of the universe and are no threat to our planet. You are clearly a child in need of taken care of. We have calculated the most likely area will your space pod will land; we are sending a nearby resident to meet with you. Her name is Arinko."_

Tarble was thrown back into his seat when the space pod resumed moving. He panicked.

_Someone to meet with me? I have to get out of this armor. It's a dead give-away, _he thought.

He struggled to remove his armor in the small space of the pod. Finally succeeding in that endeavor, he pondered what to do about his tail. The blue spandex was tight against his skin, and it would be next to impossible to stuff his tail underneath the spandex and flatten it so that it wouldn't be noticeable. Tarble frowned. It would be painful, but if he didn't want to risk getting killed on sight, he would have to do it.

* * *

As soon as the space pod crashed into the ground and opened up, Tarble grabbed his armor and ran in the most awkward manner. He looked around, trying to find some place to hide it. He found a hollow in a large tree with white leaves and stuffed the armor there. He sprinted back to the pod, a permanent grimace on his face. He hoped he would be able to find some loose-fitting clothes soon.

"Oh, child… You look out of breath. I suppose you were fancying a jog, hm? Ah, you kids… So much energy."

Tarble blinked and turned to look at the elderly woman approaching him. She appeared to look like a Saiyan but much frailer. She did not have a tail; instead, she had two thin, black antennas on her head and four arms instead of two. She was smiling at him.

"I am Arinko. You must be Tarble… Please, follow me," she said, turning and heading back the opposite direction.

Tarble, seeing no other option, walked alongside her.

"Miss, uh… I don't know what procedure is here for orphans," he said, feeling uncomfortable in more ways than one.

"My, you are very well-spoken for such a small child. Is this normal development for your species?" Arinko asked, seeming genuinely curious.

Tarble paused, trying to think of a response. Arinko frowned, her wrinkles deepening. Her antenna seemed to twitch briefly.

"I do apologize. You do not have to talk about your race, if you do not want to. I imagine you must have been through a terrifying ordeal. You do not need to worry, young Tarble. I have already consented to being your guardian. I promise I will take care of you, and I will protect you from harm," she said, putting an arm around his shoulder.

"T-thank you. That's very kind of you."

Tarble knew he was going to have to be extra careful around the elderly woman since he was going to be living with her. If she knew anything about Saiyans, then he could not have her spot his tail.

Finally, they came upon the boundaries of a small town. Arinko stopped at a pyramid-shaped dwelling. The door slid open, allowing Tarble and Arinko to enter. Tarble's eyes lit up. Gadgets and machinery were strewn about. Tools and blueprints took up most of the table-space and some of the floor space, too. Books lined a row of shelves against a back wall. Arinko seemed to sweatdrop for a moment, and she looked at Tarble apologetically.

"I didn't have time to clean before your arrival," she explained.

One of her antennas moved slightly; she tilted her head. Tarble looked down at his feet and twiddled his thumbs.

"I hope I haven't offended you," Arinko said, frowning again.

"No, not at all. I just… I'm very… curious," Tarble said, eyeing some of the machinery.

Arinko followed his gaze, "Hmm?"

"Those aren't toys, little boy, I promise I'll…" she began but stopped when she saw Tarble shake his head.

"I, uh… like to see how things work," Tarble said.

"Oh."

Arinko considered this. Meanwhile, Tarble began to shift uncomfortably. The pressure on his tail was unbearable, and it was taking too much effort to keep it flattened against him.

"Miss, uh… I've been in this same spandex for several days now," he trailed off, hoping she would get the message.

Arinko snapped out of her train of thought and smiled, "Of course. I don't really have any clothes that would fit you, but I'm sure you won't mind a nice, big shirt until we're able to go shopping, hm?"

Tarble would take anything he could get. Arinko disappeared into a room and came out shortly after with a shirt that was twice his size. It was rather unremarkable save for some foreign symbols on it.

"You can change in that room over there to the left. That's where the bathroom is. Are you capable of washing yourself, Tarble?" Arinko asked, picking up some blueprints on the floor.

"Yes, I am. Thank you," Tarble said, darting into the bathroom with the shirt in hand.

He closed the door and locked it. He peeled off the blue spandex and sighed in relief when his tail broke free. He rubbed at it in an attempt to ease the soreness before getting in the shower and washing himself.

Once he finished that task, he dried himself off, wrapped his tail around his waist, and pulled the shirt over him. It really was ridiculously long.

_Oh well. It's better than nothing. This should keep my tail hidden without squashing it, anyway, _he thought.

He walked out of the bathroom, being careful not to trip over the shirt he was wearing. Arinko was attempting to organize the blueprints onto one of her shelves. Tarble noticed that she missed one and picked it up. Seeing that she was busy, he decided to take a peek. The design was extraordinarily complicated and contained various drawings of what looked like some kind of robot that was meant to be piloted. Tarble's young mind worked as he tried to figure the blueprint out. Hacking computers and reprogramming a ship's coordinates was easy enough for him but encountering something like this seemed far out of his league. He needed to know more.

"How would it fly?"

Arinko looked up and turned to face Tarble.

"What?" Her antenna twitched a few times; the curious expression on her face once more.

Tarble approached her with the blueprint.

"If the mass indicated here is correct, it would take absurd amounts of fuel to get this thing off the ground. Furthermore, if it were to reach this kind of speed and still maintain maneuverability, wouldn't it need to be more aerodynamic? It's so… bulky," Tarble said, coming off as both scientific and adorable.

Arinko stared at him. Tarble stared back. Then, he looked down and handed the blueprint to her.

"I'm, uh, sorry," he muttered, twiddling his thumbs again.

"Tarble, how old are you again?" Arinko asked.

"Two," Tarble said, holding up two fingers for good measure.

She seemed dumbfounded, like she had no idea what to say.

"Sorry," he said again.

"Your species must have had highly advanced intelligence," she said, at last.

Thinking back to his home planet was still a painful memory for him. His father was probably celebrating his death at this very moment. Still, he had to hold back a giggle at the thought of his race having "highly advanced intelligence." He wasn't exactly sure what made his particular set of genes so different from every other Saiyan's, but he had to be thankful for it to some extent.

Arinko walked over to the shelf to put the blueprint on it.

"To be perfectly honest, little one, I haven't quite figured those parts out yet. I am certain it can be done. Right now, the mobile mech suit is low on my priority list, though. Now, then," she clapsed her four hands together, "you must be hungry after your long journey. If I had to guess, your species is omnivorous, yes?"

Tarble nodded.

"Good. So is mine. That makes things a lot easier," Arinko said, heading to the corner of the room where a small, untidy kitchen area was.

"Uh, miss… I have to warn you. My species has a high metabolism. We require a lot of food. So, umm… Please don't be shocked," Tarble informed her.

"Don't worry so much, Tarble. As your guardian, I assure you I will be accommodating to your needs. I only hope you will like it here," Arinko said while slicing up some meat.

"I, uh… think I will like it here," Tarble said, smiling at her.


	3. Discovered

"School?" Tarble looked up from the hover car's hood.

"Yes. Your fifth birthday is coming up, and it's mandatory for children to go to school. I really don't have much say in the matter. I could get in trouble for not sending you to school," Arinko said, sighing.

"But Auntie," Tarble said, frowning, "I'm far too advanced for an elementary school."

"I know, Tarble, I know. You'll just have to put up with it for the time being. Don't look so glum. It would be good, at least, for you to go out and make friends," Arinko pointed out.

Her antenna twitched for a moment, and she approached the hover car. She looked down, her wrinkles deepening as she frowned.

"Careful. Don't let the reactor engine become too pressured. Last thing we want is an explosion on our hands." She reached in with her four hands and made a few adjustments.

"Thanks," Tarble wiped some sweat from his brow, "I'll be careful, Auntie. I haven't caused an explosion yet, have I?"

"No. Although, there was that one time…" Arinko began, thinking back.

"It was just a little shock. Nothing exploded. I was fine," Tarble said, "You can go shopping for… whatever it is I'm going to need for school. I've got things covered."

Arinko smiled, "All right. Behave yourself. I don't want to hear the neighbors complaining again for you having the fun-o-vision up too loud."

She ruffled his hair affectionately, then left the house. Tarble's eyes darted from side to side. He grabbed the remote and turned up the volume on the fun-o-vision. His favorite show, _Unicorn Marble X_, was going to be coming on soon. Arinko had it on the news, but it would switch off as soon as it was time for the show to start. Humming happily to himself, he set back to work on the hover car and thought about his life.

Life on Photerra was so much different from life on Planet Vegeta. On Planet Vegeta, he had to go through rigorous exercise constantly. There was all the mocking he had to endure from being so weak. He had to go to great pains to have moments to himself to think, plan, and invent. He really couldn't say that he missed it, but there was… one thing. His brother.

Tarble took time to make another adjustment to relieve the pressure on the reactor in the hover car.

His brother was probably the first person to show any semblance of kindness and caring to him, at least… as far as caring and kindness was shown by Saiyans.

"_Tarble, you need to get more serious about your training or you're going to die. You must push yourself harder."_

Those words from his brother still rang in his mind. They were said without malice or a mocking tone; they were said simply as a statement of fact. There was a lot of meaning behind it, though. It was the equivalent of saying, "I'm worried about you" or "I care about you." Most importantly, it said, "I want you to stay in my life."

It wasn't that Prince Vegeta had never mocked him. He had all the time. In fact, he had been getting increasingly more cruel the last time he saw him. It was just the fact that Prince Vegeta had said those words at all, when no one else had, that stuck with him.

He would probably never see his brother again. Even if he did decide to one day leave Photerra, unless he was super strong, he would never be accepted by other Saiyans. He felt that in that number, it would probably include his brother, too. Still, there was no need to fret about it. Life on Photerra was good, much better than on Planet Vegeta. His guardian, Arinko, or "Auntie" as he had taken to calling her, had more than made up for the cruelty he had suffered on Planet Vegeta. Of course, if she ever found out he was a Saiyan, it might be different. So far, he had not blown his cover. He kept his tail well hidden, and he always avoided going out at night, claiming a fear of the dark. The moon cycles could be predicted, of course, but it would have been a lot harder to explain a fear of the full moon.

"_NEWS FLASH! This is One Universe News with breaking news! Another planet has fell victim to a bizarre… I mean, completely normal, meteor storm. There is no trace of any survivors on Planet… err… Vro… arg… eti? Truly, the universe mourns its loss."_

Tarble glanced at the fun-o-vision. Arinko kept up with the news more than he did. She had been telling him that there had been a string of meteor storms wiping out whole planets in another galaxy. He was no fool, of course. He knew exactly what galaxy it was and suspected the "meteor storms" were actions of the Planetary Trade Organization.

"_You may remember other planets that have fallen to these outbursts of meteor storms. The first one started a few years back, and it couldn't have happened to a better planet. The entire extinction of the Saiyan race has left many races sighing in relief. In addition…"_

Tarble froze, his eyes widening in shock. So many thoughts raced through his head. Planet Vegeta had been destroyed? He was only just now finding out about this? He grabbed the remote, turned up the volume, and rewinded the fun-o-vision. It was unmistakable. A few years back… It must have happened shortly after he was shipped off the planet. The Saiyan race had been one of the strongest races in the universe. A mere meteor storm couldn't have taken out the entire planet. Unless…

Tarble's blood ran cold at his thoughts. Frieza. Could Frieza have destroyed them all? He knew Frieza was strong, but if Frieza was that strong than… No one in the universe stood a chance against him. They could all potentially be victims…

_No, no. Get a hold of yourself, Tarble. Frieza has his own army. He wouldn't have wiped out the entire planet by himself when he has an army that could do it for him, right? There's really no point in panicking, anyway. I mean, there's nothing you can do really if he does put this planet up at the market again. Just gotta live life and hope for the best. Besides, I got work to do, _Tarble thought, then immediately panicked again, _The reactor!_

He rushed over to the hover car. The pressure levels for the reactor were dangerously high.

_Crap, crap, crap,_ he thought.

He grabbed his tools just in time for the reactor to explode with a huge, bright flash. It was all Tarble saw before seeing black.

…

When he woke up, he felt more pain that he had ever felt in his entire life. His body felt burned all over. His mouth felt like it was full of ash.

"Here, drink this," the warm, elderly voice of Arinko said to him.

He grabbed at it blindly and drank it down, wincing as he did.

"Auntie?" His voice was hoarse, "Where am I?"

"We're in the basement, Tarble. I came running as soon as I heard the explosion. You don't need to worry. I'm here," she said, in a reassuring voice, but she sounded worried.

_She didn't take me to the hospital? But… why? _Tarble thought.

He was relieved, though. At a hospital, the doctors would surely discover his tail, and… His tail! He could feel it. It wasn't curled around his waist. He didn't know what to say or do. Arinko must have sensed how uncomfortable he was.

"Yes, Tarble. I know about your tail. I know you are a Saiyan," Arinko said, her tone seemed unsure and nervous.

"Please… don't hate me," Tarble pleaded.

"No," he felt arms wrap around him gently, "Oh dear no. I don't think I could ever hate you. You've been such a sweet little boy. I just can't believe you would ever be…"

She trailed off, but her arms stayed around him. Tarble buried his face into the crook of her lower right arm. "I'm sorry, Auntie."

"No. I'm sorry, Tarble. I should have never left you alone. If I had been here, this wouldn't have happened to you," Arinko said, "I'll take care of you the best I can."

"You don't need to worry. Being a Saiyan means that I heal fast." He suddenly felt very sleepy and in much less pain than he was before. "What was in that drink?"

"A pain-killer." She laid the Saiyan boy back down and kissed his forehead, "Don't fight it. Go to sleep, Tarble. I'll be here for you."

Tarble smiled, "Thank you." He drifted off to sleep.


End file.
